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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22436356">Apple In My Eye</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aranrhod/pseuds/Aranrhod'>Aranrhod</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters: Sword &amp; Shield | Pokemon Sword &amp; Shield Versions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Childhood Friends, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Past Abuse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 10:20:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>17,747</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22436356</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aranrhod/pseuds/Aranrhod</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Forced to move to Galar, Trinity Grace tried starting over and attempted the Gym Challenge, disregarding her mother’s rules to live freely. However, her mother’s warnings catch up to Trinity. She withdraws from the Gym Challenge and hides herself among the crowds of Galar hoping that no one would remember her. After years later, Raihan still remembers.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kibana | Raihan &amp; Original Character(s), Kibana | Raihan &amp; Original Pokemon Trainer(s), Kibana | Raihan/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>67</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue: Into The Forest</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So, this is my first time posting here on this website and it's been a long time since I've written any kind of fan fiction since I've moved a lot of focus into writing original stories. I'll been honest, I am a bit nervous posting anything, so I hope that there are some who will enjoy the story.</p><p>The plan is to try and post every Monday with each chapter reaching at least 4,000 words. I want to make sure each chapter is pretty lengthy, but because of that there is a chance I may miss a Monday or two. My weeks are usually jam packed with work and other commitments, but I will do the best I can!</p><p>Before I begin, there will be themes of abuse later down the story line to make sure that readers are aware. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, only my original characters.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“No one can contact her mother?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not at all. Do you think something may have happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Goodness</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I hope not. Her uncle had passed away before she even arrived to see him then to have something happen to her mother? That would be just awful timing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bad luck, I say.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I heard that someone managed to contact the authorities in Lilycove.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? What did they say?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Officers went to the house to speak with her mother, but nothing was there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A house can’t simply disappear.”</span>
</p><p><span> “</span><em><span>Not the house</span></em> <em><span>Liam</span></em><span>. The house was obviously still there, but it was empty. No furniture, no people, just everything gone. International police may need to get involved.”</span></p><p>
  <span>“That would mean-?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Surely not</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hidden behind the trunk of one of the Gilmwood Tangle’s famous towering trees, Trinity stared at her outstretched hands listening intently to the gossiping individuals around the corner. The cluster of glowing mushrooms provided an ethereal blue glow to light the area, which added a blue sheen to her silver-painted, manicured nails that she was inspecting. The glow deepened the navy colored star patterns on her ring fingers and thumbs. They were beautifully done by a sweet woman, a previous rival of her mother, down the street of her previous house. The one that was now empty according to the gossip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, the longer she stared at her stylized nails, listening to the gossip around the corner, the stronger the anger swelled in her chest, like a growing hurricane, until she found herself with an overwhelming desire to tear her nails off. They were simply a reminder of failed expectations, her stupidity, and her family’s betrayal.  But instead, she curled her hands into tight fists, digging her pointed shaped nails into her palms as she forced her eyes shut as her emotions began overwhelming her. Frustrated tears poured down her cheeks in rivers as she bit down on her lower lip to keep the sounds of her despair inside. She did not need the adults to know that she had heard every word they were saying and to be reassured with their lies. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, if what had been said was true, and her family moved away without a word, meant that her precious Swablu, Mirabella, was not going to be sent to her as promised. How stupid was she to believe there was a chance that they would have kept this one promise after abandoning her. Now she was alone in a dark forest thousands of miles away from what she called home to be hidden away from the world as if she was a dirty secret. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A hand was placed gently on her shoulder, startling Trinity out of her sorrow and whirling thoughts. “You look like you could use a warm cup of tea my dear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly, Trinity lifted her head over her shoulder towards the owner of the hand, someone she vividly remembered among the chaos of her first days of Ballonlea, but she never knew the woman’s name. With a theme of pastel pinks and mint, along the strikingly deep violets, she appeared bright despite the darkness that wrapped around Ballonlea. The woman observed Trinity from under her opened parasol mirroring the same color theme she wore. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still surprised that she had not heard the woman approach, Trinity quietly spoke, not bothering to hide her tears now that she had been caught. “Who...?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The older woman took her hand off Trinity’s shoulder to reach into her pocket, pulling out a laced-hemmed handkerchief. “My name is Opal, or The Wizard, whichever is easier for you to remember.” With a flick of her wrist, the handkerchief came out of its folded form and was held out for Trinity to take. “Now, dry your tears.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hesitantly, Trinity reached out and took the handkerchief from Opal’s semi-wrinkled hand. Eyes still burning from her tears, Trinity listened to Opal’s command and buried her face into the soft fabric, rubbing away her tears from her cheeks and eyes. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, attempting to reel in her emotions and control them once again. Crying wasn’t going to fix anything that had happened. It was not going to bring back her uncle that was supposed to take care of her, it was not going to bring back her Pokemon, and it certainly was not going to bring her back to Hoenn, but it did ease the storm that burned inside her chest. Once she felt like all her tears were removed, she pulled away from the handkerchief with one last heavy exhale.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There, there now.” Opal’s hand found Trinity’s shoulder again with a gentle pat causing the young pre-teen to peer up at her, meeting Opal’s mint colored orbs that seemed to glow in the mushroom’s light. Opal gently smiled down at her, as if trying to reassure her. “Follow me and we’ll get you squared away with some afternoon tea. An omelette for lunch sounds nice too.” Opal motioned Trinity to follow as she began walking along the cobbled road without a second glance back to see if Trinity was following.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity remained against the towering tree for a moment, flickering a glance at the handkerchief still in her hands back to Opal’s retreating form, before she took her first steps down the cobblestone pathway.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Remembrance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Surprisingly, after not being able to type all weekend, I can proudly say that I passed the 5,000 word mark on this chapter. I tried rereading it all morning to catch any grammatical errors or rewording certain sentences so I do apologize for any that I missed.</p><p>I also wanted to thank everyone for comments and kudos people left. I'm excited to know that some people are curious about the story so far! I do hope you enjoy this chapter as well.</p><p>Disclaimer: Still do not own Pokemon and only own my characters.</p><p>[Updated: 08/18/2020]</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Raihan heaved a long sigh before leaning his cheek into a gloved hand as he stared out past Hammerlocke’s outer bailey to the grassy fields of the Wild Area. From his perch on the stone railing that surrounded the city’s famous Vault, he enjoyed the cool breeze that would occasionally pass by. This was his favorite spot within the city. It had a great overlook around the inner sanctum of the city as well a decent view of the Wild Area, though being on the outer bailey was the best place to take in a scenic view of the wildlife beyond Hammerlocke. And as famous as the Vault was, there was usually little foot traffic, leaving Raihan to relax and organize his thoughts in peace. The mornings when the sun was not at its zenith, but still high enough that its rays warmed him at a comfortable temperature were the best, like today.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A small flock of Pidoves flew by him in a rush catching his attention. He could see the letter carriers attached to their small bodies as the small flock dispersed into different directions within the city. Taking a moment, he realized that the letter carriers were not the normal ones he would see for the official mail service provided for their Pokemon. </span>
  <em>
    <span>They must be from the new business, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Raihan considered, recalling that there had been a new business that opened up that used their own flock to deliver their goods throughout Hammerlocke. He made a mental note to remind himself to visit the shop. He took it upon himself as a Gym Leader, and representative of Hammerlocke, to know every part of the city like the back of his hand and connect with his community as much as possible, whether it was through social media or being present physically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Within the recent weeks, Raihan noted that the citizens of his great city were preparing for more foot traffic to come through the city. The annual Gym Challenge had started roughly three months ago and Challengers would come through to continue their journey to the gyms surrounding Hammerlocke with the next few weeks, if not sooner. It was when the city truly became alive, the community actively engaging with the tourists and Challengers to participate in local music, food and activities. He would give it another two months before the remaining Challengers would return to his city for their final badge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Last year there had been barely four Challengers that made it to his gym and only two were able to earn their badges; Lawrance and William. However, they were unable to make it through the tournament and win a chance to battle against the Champion for the title. It was also his ninth loss to Leon, and with the recent exhibition match, ten. But this year, Raihan’s sixth sense has been going off as the days crept closer to the end of the Gym Challenge, like an impending storm slowly rolling in from the distance. Something was different, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. It wasn’t because of the surprising two endorsements from Leon, or even Chairman Rose’s own endorsed Challenger. It was something else that uneased him, but after racking his brain all morning to think of any indication that would give him a reason as to why he felt uneasy, he gave up and headed to his current position.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Although he came up to his resting place to clear his head, he found himself reminiscing about his own Gym Challenge years ago. A fanged smile crept up as he thought about all the adventures he had with his partners and friends he made along the way. Despite all the years that have passed, he could vividly remember his journey from day one until he lost against Leon in the tournament for the Champion title. It was full of memories that he would never forget; full of memories of </span>
  <em>
    <span>her </span>
  </em>
  <span>as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He should have expected that his thoughts would wind up dwelling on her. It was always around this time of year when Challengers started reaching cities such as Ballonlea and Circhester that she would claim his attention more than usual. Every year he hoped that any trace of her would turn up, but every year he would just endure another wave of crushing disappointment. “Maybe I should give up and save myself the heartache,” Raihan mumbled to himself, but deep down, he knew he wouldn't be able to do such a thing. If he did, he would have done it years ago.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another long sigh escaped his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are sighing pretty heavily there mate.” Raihan glanced over to the staircase to see his rival walking up the steps with a bright smile and a lifted hand in greeting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seeing that Leon was alone, Raihan immediately gave a small, knowing smirk. He shifted his position to let his feel touch the stone floor instead of dangling over the edge. “Did Camilla guide you here again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leon moved to the side to sit next to Raihan on the wall, clearly ignoring his jab about his sense of direction making Raihan chuckle softly. If he wasn’t responding, that meant that Camillia had definitely guided Leon to the Vaults. Generally, she was the one who would find him glancing around trying to recall where to go next. Deciding not to push his teasing any further, he asked a question instead. “What brings you to Hammerlocke today O’Great Champion?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time it was Leon’s turn to sigh. He bent forward to rest his elbows on his knees and his chin on his interlocked fingers. Raihan peered at him curiously. It was rare for Leon to not comment on his nicknames or even really sigh for that matter. “Just discussions with Chairman Rose. We had a long back and forth this morning and I needed some fresh air.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That would explain it. “Sounds rough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s nothing new. He has large visions for the future, but I like to think that the present is something to focus on at times. If we keep looking too far ahead then we’ll miss everything that happens now. But that’s my personal opinion.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not a bad opinion to have. Too bad it’s not like the good old days where all we did was travel with our Pokemon. No meetings. No responsibilities. Just the open road and Pokemon.” Raihan turned his gaze back toward the Wild Area. It had been a long while since he really went out and enjoyed a day in the Wild Area now that he thought about it. He needed to consider having a day off to either train or roam around to be outside the city walls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leon agreed wholeheartedly. “Those were the days.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A comfortable silence surrounded the two of them for a few minutes. The only sound was the small howl of the breeze passing through the buildings and the murmuring crowd of people below as they went on with their day. The silence broke when Leon hesitantly spoke again. “You’ve been thinking of her, haven’t you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raihan flickered a quick glance at his friend, silently acknowledging that he heard Leon’s statement before staring back at the fields beyond. Leon would be the only one to ask anymore. Everyone had tried talking him into letting her go, and eventually, they stopped trying when he refused. Riahan’s frustration never helped the situation, and slowly he stopped speaking about her altogether to anyone. Even though Leon still asked year, it had been five years since he spoke about her to anyone. For a moment, he dwelled on the intuitive feeling that this year was different. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe it’s time to try again, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Raihan considered a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am,” Raihan admitted slowly, catching Leon off-guard. “In all honesty, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about her.” Raihan inhaled the fresh morning air deeply, trying to calm the rapid thumping in his chest. His nervousness felt odd to him. He was normally brimming with confidence yet here he was. “She just… disappeared Leon. Somewhere between Ballonlea and Circhester, she just stopped appearing at the Gyms. I considered her to be one of my closest friends, outside of you, Sonia, and Nessa. I can’t help but wonder what happened to her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leon silently watched Raihan. He vaguely recalled having a few exchanged conversations with the girl of the topic, but he clearly remembered that she and Raihan were much closer friends at the time than she was with himself, Sonia or Nessa. It was just an immediate click relationship that Leon had noticed, similar to how Sonia and Nessa connected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raihan, on the other hand, remembered so much of her. He couldn’t help but smile faintly at the thought of her. Her lavender eyes always sparkled with mischief and always complained in her slight accent about how her black mane of curls never behaved, no matter how many hair styles she tried. She was a whirlwind that came and went as she pleased, and Raihan considered her to be a breath of fresh air after a heavy storm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They became fast friends before even learning each other’s names. Eventually, their names became a reward to earn if they both reached the tournament for the Champion’s title. All their friends thought it was odd that they had made such a competition, but they didn’t care because they believed wholeheartedly that they would make it to the final tournament in Wyndon. A competition that Raihan regretted ever participating in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s been seven years Raihan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The words stung, but they were the truth. “I know...” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After the tournament, he began his search for her. Retracing the last Gym that he had seen her at and attempting to figure out when and where she disappeared. When he started his search he realized that he knew nothing about her that could really help him. All because of the rules of their competition that they would only reveal their personal information in Wyndon. There was no name, no league card, he couldn’t remember her jersey number, not even a photo to show others. The one time they took a photo, she had taken it with her disposable camera. All that he was able to conclude was that she had achieved getting her Ballonlea badge roughly two days before he arrived, but never made it to Circhester for the next badge. The only reason he was able to find out that information was League staff trying to recall the Challengers that matched his description. For all he knew, she could have gotten her badge in Circhester and the League member merely couldn’t remember her being there that day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unconsciously, he pulled the hood of his hoodie closer to his face, gripping the fabric tightly. “I just… I just want to know what happened. Whether she is alive or if she is…” Raihan couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence. He didn’t want to admit that his worst fear was something awful had happened to her during her travels. It was unfortunate, but it wasn’t unheard of trainers dying on their journeys. They did travel harsh environments with strong Pokemon that would not hesitate to attack if provoked. If not properly prepared, anything could happen. He could recall his own close calls if not for his Pokemon to keep him safe. Even then, there were no reported missing persons or deaths that Challenge year from what he found, which only eased his fear a little. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leon frowned, feeling rather helpless to console Raihan. Although, he was surprised that Raihan decided to speak after these past few years. It wasn’t much, but it was a step forward in Leon’s opinion. “Maybe this year will be different?” Leon offered with a tiny smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raihan wanted to laugh at the irony of Leon’s words. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>ღ</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity huffed in annoyance as she tried working her Corviknight colored hair into some sort of control so it did not look like she had just rolled out of bed. “I shouldn’t have let Jade convince me to cut my hair,” she mumbled to herself as she slipped a pearl decorated bobby pin above her ear to hold back some of her thick locks for the third attempt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shifting her head to side to side, Trinity triple checked to see if her bobby pins were holding up in the standing mirror in her bedroom. They seemed that they were holding for now this time around, but she guaranteed by the end of the day some locks would find themselves free of their confindments. But she felt odd seeing her hair length hovering over her shoulders instead of cascading down her back like a Galar Rapidash’s mane, but it was something she was just going to have to get used to at this point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity moved to inspect her entire attire for the day, making sure nothing was out of place. A long, black sleeved shirt seamlessly ironed adorned the top of her body covering the top portion of a deep violet accordion skirt that stopped right below her knees. Placing her hands on her hips, she twisted back and forth forcing the skirt to naturally lift at the motion as she inspected her black tights underneath, making sure there were no rips or runs that she was unaware of. Satisfied with her clothing, she moved on to inspect her accessories. Black semi-rimless frames settled in front of her eyes with teal lining on the inside. Her pearl bobby pins held her wild hair in place and had matching the pearl studs in her ears. She readjusted the string of small pearls around her neck, a gift from Opal on her eighteen birthday when she was considered a woman in Galar’s society. Opal believed that every woman should own at least one pearl necklace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pausing her hand from leaving the necklace, she sighed heavily at her reflection realizing what she had done. She had slipped into her habit again. “Check mark for failing to avoid this again,” she murmured to herself, letting her hand drop to her side and walked away from the mirror to her closet. Years of being prepped and drilled to be always presentable in the public eye was hard to erase. Being a coordinator meant always looking your best without a single strand of hair out of line, but this was especially so when one's mother used to rule the competition world. All of Hoenn was expecting her children to do the same and continue her lineage. Even though she never made a debut, the lessons were ingrained into her body’s memory. Despite all the years, she still slipped into her habit despite consciously trying not to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Your first impression is the most important rule in the Coordinator world</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You have to be memorable to the crowd and charismatic to earn sponsorship. Being remembered is everything in this competition, but you need to be remembered by your inspiring performances not for your failures.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Her mother's sharp, but honeyed voice filled her head. She clearly remembered that lesson out of all of the ones she would receive. She had gotten numerous new clothes to try on that day and learned the mental checklist she was to keep in her head before going out. Clothes, hair, accessories, and shoes, all in that order. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She grabbed an infinity scarf of a deep salmon color from its hanger. There was a time that the list didn’t claim her mind and she was less conscious of her appearance. Living on the road for her Gym Challenge, she did not have the luxury of her wardrobe or anything of the sort, thus her habit only became apparent before challenging a gym and she would appear on the big screens set up around the stadium. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity smiled to herself as memories of her Gym Challenge journey began filtering through her mind. It was truly the best few months of her entire life. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She disregarded her mother’s order to remain in the Glimwood Tangle until she was given permission to leave and traveled to see what her new home had to offer. After all, how could her mother know that she had left the Tangle? She abandoned her in the depths of the Tangle and she was legally adopted by Opal, who sponsored her journey. No one in Galar knew the name Grace name; there was no paparazzi to see what the famous Grace daughter was doing to prepare for the coordinator world or any kind of media presence watching her every move.It was just the road and her pokemon. She met lifelong partners and amazing friends. Many of them seemed to have continued on, contributing to society and doing great things. Especially one who became a famous, and rather beloved,Gym Leader. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her smile faded a bit feeling her heart ache at the thought of him. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Raihan…</span>
  </em>
  <span>’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She forced herself to wrap the scarf around her neck as she shook her head, trying to shake off her thoughts of him. She missed him the most out of all of her friends, but she never held up her end of the promise to meet him in Wyndon. With it being so long ago, she was convinced that he had forgotten her, especially now with his fame and responsibilities.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mari?” she called out leaving the confines of her bedroom into the living area. She found her Whimsicott snuggled in a fort of cushions and pillows that were piled up in the corner of the room. Sunlight filtered through the casement windows, warming Mari from where she slept. Careful to avoid disturbing any of Mari’s bedding, Trinity cracked open one of the windows to allow fresh air to circulate through the room. Trinity smiled gently towards her pokemon as Mari snuggled closer to the closest pillow with a content sound. Quietly, she gathered some lum and pecha berries into a porcelain bowl from the kitchen and left it on the coffee table for Mari whenever she woke up from her slumber. Satisfied that her Pokemon had something to munch on while she was gone, she grabbed a small stack of letters that were resting on the coffee table and headed towards the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slipping on her black ankle boots and slung her messenger bag over her shoulder. She paused, staring at the ground for a moment. She lightly tapped the tip of her boot against the floor. “Ready to go Jasper?” Her shadow expanded out before a pair of red eyes and a large grin appeared with her shadow with a quiet laugh before disappearing and her shadow shrunk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jade, one of her first friends in Galar and current roommate, had a dream to open a cafe of her own. Years ago, Jade decided that Hammerlocke would be the perfect place to open said cafe, believing that it was a hot spot location in comparison to Bellonea. After two years of saving and working all sorts of odd jobs, including their Pokemon, they managed to move to Hammerlocke, purchasing a townhouse at the end of a street. The next three years they put all effort into renovating the building, purchasing permits, making peace with their neighbors about opening a business in a residence area instead of a rental space, and training Pokemon to do specific jobs that would be needed. The first floor became the actual business, the second level was their living space, and the third floor was a small, spare bedroom and their delivery room. It was a lot of work to help Jade achieve her dream, but Trinity was finally relieved that their hard work was finally over and the cafe was finally opened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Opening the door to the delivery room, she was greeted with coos and chirps.“Good morning everyone,” Trinity greeted Jade's flock. Jade owned all the Pokemon that they used for their delivery business, which included the bulk of the training for the business. Thankfully, many Taxi flyers in the area were happy to give tips and tricks to them to help the process along. Jade’s flock consisted of two Unafezants, one male and female, Don and Math, four Pidoves that were Don and Math’s children, and a Noctowl, Lunette, who was huddled in the corner away from the sunlight. The room was spacious to make sure each Pokemon had their own perch and space to stretch without running into another as well as their own feeders connected to their perches.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Holding up a small stack of letters, she smiled towards the Pidove siblings. “Gwydion, Gilfaethwy, Gofannon and Amaethon, you all have jobs today!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The four Pidoves brothers immediately flew forward onto a mint painted, wooden perch that was set up near the large half circle window. It was where Jade, or herself, would ready them for their jobs before they would set out. The window was always open so that all of them could go wherever they pleased but they would always be home in the morning, ready to see if they had any deliveries to make. Trinity quietly worked on strapping their little pouches to their bodies, triple checking to make sure nothing would allow the pouch to fall or potentially hurt any of them before she carefully tucked the commissioned calligraphy written letters she made for their clients into them. Thankfully, the siblings knew the drill, helping her by lifting their wings and shifting to make the process much easier. With one last check, she lightly tapped with her hand the wooden perch that the brothers were resting on. “You’re all set! Be safe flying!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a collected chirp, the siblings took off through the window together in sync. Trinity watched them fly into the distance for a few moments, making sure nothing happened, before turning to Don and Math, who was watching her with curious eyes as if waiting to see what she had for them. She walked over, lightly stroking the back of their heads. They both cooed pleasantly at her touch leaning into her touch. “And you both have the day off so you are free to do whatever you like.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity pulled her hands away as both Unafezants began excitedly flapping their wings off their own perches. They flew around her in a circle a few times before they both took off out the window flying around each other like an elegant dance. Trinity couldn’t help but smile at their fading forms before shifting her attention. Last but not least, she quietly approached Lunette, who eyed her with half open eyes, seeming annoyed at the morning commotion. “Get some more rest Lunette,” she spoke quietly, lightly stroking one of her wings. With a satisfied sound of agreement, Lunette closed her eyes again as Trinity quietly left the room and headed downstairs to the first level.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Closing the door behind her once she was on the first floor, her name was immediately called from across the room. Trinity peered towards the owner of the voice, seeing an elderly couple sitting by the wide window of the cafe. The couple was their next door neighbor and the deciding factor if they would be able to open the cafe. Since the couple agreed that they did not mind the business, both, Jade and Trinity, made sure that they would get anything they would like for free. The couple accepted their generosity, but did not take any kind of advantage of their promise. Every morning during the weekday, they would come in for a single pot of tea and spend the morning together at the same table. It warmed Trinity’s heart to see that they were willing to spend the mornings together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity gaze quickly searched for Jade and found her was behind the counter brewing up some sort of drink for a waiting customer before walking over to the married couple to see if they needed anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell,” Trinity greeted as she stood by their table. “Is there anything I can help you with?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no dearie, we just wanted to wish you a good morning,” Mrs.Caldwell smiled brightly dismissing the notion with her hand making Trinity relax a bit more. Mrs. Caldwell lightly tapped her finger against the teacup in her hand, clearly looking Trinity up and down. “Though you look like you are going out on a special date my dear, who's the lucky man?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now Lily, it's none of our business.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? I am merely curious. A woman doesn’t wear pearls every day you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mr. Caldwell inhaled deeply before lifting his own teacup to his mouth to silence any comments he may have wanted to say. Trinity had covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smile at their interaction. They were always pleasant company despite Mrs. Caldwell’s habit of gossip, especially for Jade and Trinity’s lives. Trinity had a feeling that they did not have an opportunity to connect with the younger generations and with Jade and Trinity being their neighbors, Mrs. Caldwell always took her opportunity, much to her husband’s discomfort. He seemed to value personal space a little more than his wife.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m afraid I’m not meeting anyone of that sort,” Trinity admitted with a smile as she lowered her hand away from her face. “Just meeting my guardian today and bringing her to see the cafe now that it is open. She’s a very busy woman, especially of late, but she managed to find time in her schedule to come out to Hammerlocke.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mrs. Caldwell seemed to wither a bit as if her news wasn’t quite what she wanted to hear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “It’s good that you're picking your guardian up, I feel most your age would just have them come to your door instead of taking their time to pick them up,” Mr. Caldwell complimented before beginning to unfold a newspaper that he had originally placed to the side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, that is very sweet of you dearie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that moment, Jade walked over with a fresh kettle in her hands, steaming rising from its spout. “Besides Mrs. Caldwell, there is already one man who claims Trinity’s attention,” she chimed into the conversation. Clearly, she had been listening in on their conversation once she was free of her customer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Embarrassed heat rushed to Trinity’s cheeks for being called out. Mixed feelings swirled in her stomach and chest, but the urge to smack Jade prevailed through everything, especially when Jade sent her a mischievous grin as Mrs. Cadwell perked up at the tidbit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh? Who is this Trinity? You’ve never mentioned anyone before?” Mrs. Caldwell pressed leaning forward and resting her chin on the palm of her free hand, staring at her expectedly. Trinity flickered a gaze at Mr. Caldwell, a silent request for help, but the man returned her please with a “I can’t help you on this” expression before he quietly hid his face behind the newspaper. Unable to have a chance to explain Jade’s misguidance, Jade was already speaking again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, if you would like to glance at the telley you will see our lovely Gym Leader on the screen,” Jade purred as she poured fresh hot water into the porcelain teapot on the table. Both Trinity and Mrs. Caldwell shifted their gazes to the television hanging in the back corner of the cafe. It was muted, but it was a rerun of the exhibition battle between Raihan and Leon with only Charizard and Duraludon left out on the field.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity watched as the camera zoomed in on Raihan’s focused face, but she could see it in his electric blue orbs that he knew he was on the road of defeat once again. However, there was also a fire of passion that clearly showed that he was not giving up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mm, I do not blame you my dear.” Mrs. Caldwell’s voice forced her back into the present. “Raihan has done such an amazing job of being Hammerlocke’s Gym Leader since he picked up the mantle. Some of us older folk were a bit skeptical at first for such a young Leader to take a leadership role within such a large city as Hammerlocke, but he quickly showed that he was more than capable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It does help that he is quite the handsome man. He has definitely captured many hearts since he became the Gym Leader.” She chuckled to herself as she lifted the cup to her lips seemingly satisfied with the information that she had been given.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, Mrs. Caldwell, about that-'' Trinity started to try and make her defense against Jade’s earlier comment but Jade interrupted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Trinity, isn’t it almost noon?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity glanced at the wooden clock on the wall and felt her heart drop to her stomach at the sight of the time. She had ten minutes to travel across all of Hammerlock to the station and meet Opal, which was normally a twenty minute walk. Had it really been more than fifteen minutes of conversation already? Did she really get that lost in the match on the television? “I’m sorry Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell I have to run! I hope you enjoy the rest of your afternoon!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity immediately dashed out of the cafe, ignoring the chuckles behind her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goodbye dearie~!” Was the last thing Trinity heard as the door closed behind her with a ring of the hanging Dragonair bell. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once her shoes touched the pavement of the sidewalk, she broke into a rushed run.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mentally, Trinity let out a string of curses for allowing herself to get so wrapped up in the conversation, falling for Jade’s trap and the fact that they did not live closer to the station. She wished she could run faster in her heeled boots as her heels clacked against the stone streets catching the attention of those she passed, Pokemon and human alike. Her heart raced painfully as she made her way through the labyrinth of a city.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Pokemon Center‘s bright roof appeared in the distance, her sign that she was at the half mark to her destination. Her chest burned as she huffed for air as she continued racing down the street. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe she’ll be one of the last ones off the train</span>
  </em>
  <span>?’ Trinity preyed as she hoped that it would give her more time to arrive at the station. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead, Arceus decided not to grant her wish this day. Arceus decided to be cruel and delay her in the worst possible way she could have ever considered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As she passed the corner of the Pokemon Center, she was unaware that someone was also walking around the corner as well, forcing their bodies to collide. Everything hurt for a moment as she stumbled to the side, trying to catch her balance. Out of her peripherals, the individual she ran into fell back, but fortunately, someone was behind them stopping their trajectory. In Trinity's case, she believed she was going to land hard on the stone and concrete ground, but she found an invisible force catching her, twirling her as if it was herself doing it, and helped her stabilize her balance.“Gar…” A soft voice whispered into her ear realizing that it was Jasper who caught her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Trinity had stopped moving from the impact, she immediately went down into a bow of an apology. “I am so sorry! I was rushing to the station and I should have watched where I was going! Are you okay?” Trinity huffed as her chest heaved for more air from the running she had been doing. She lifted her head up to look at who she was apologizing to and immediately felt her blood run cold. Her struggle to breath became more ragged as panic set in, realizing who she ran into.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raihan, her friend in the past, was there with a surprised expression, Leon peering over his shoulder looking just as startled at the sudden encounter. Raihan recovered first out of the two and waved his hand, dismissing her apology in a good manner with a pleasant, fanged smile spreading across his face. “No worries, I’m fine! Just be more careful when you are running, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ye-Yes,” she managed to heave out. Her hands curled into fists, nails digging into her sweaty palms to keep herself from shaking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raihan tilted his head as if he was taking a good look at her as Leon moved forward a bit. “Are you sure you are okay? You are breathing pretty heavy there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She finally corrected her posture forcing herself to finish the courtesy of apologizing, and ignoring the overwhelming desire to flee despite the burning sensation of being out of breath. It was no longer just to get to the station before Opal arrived, but to run away before they realized who she was. It had been seven years since she had interacted with any of them. The logical side of her brain attempted to explain that she looked much different than seven years ago and they couldn’t possibly know who she was, but her fear overpowered the logic and tightly gripped her. “I’m sorry again and I’ll be more careful!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without giving them a chance to continue the conversation, she took off again, this time with more speed than before, leaving the two men behind her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He-Hey wait!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She heard the calls but she continued running.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t until she finally made it in front of the station that she finally stopped running. She placed a hand on the bricked wall of the station to steady herself as she leaned over, desperately gasping for air. She felt her stomach turn in a nauseating way, unsure if it was from forcing her exhausted body to continue running past its current limits or the fear that had grabbed her as his piercing eyes had met at hers, as if they were staring into her soul.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>'They can’t remember. They can’t remember</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Trinity chanted in her head, but those words were not her own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her thoughts replayed what had just occurred and the sight of him before her after all these years. Despite herself, one thought sliced through her storm of emotions. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>His smile is still the same…</span>
  </em>
  <span>” There was a mixture of happiness to have that smile directed towards her once more and remorse for running away swirled in her chest. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Like I mentioned before my goal is to release a chapter every Monday that has at least 4,000 words. If I don't meet the goal, I will not post. I want to make sure that each chapter is lengthy to read.</p><p>I do like thinking that Raihan has a sharpened his sixth sense because of his dealings with weather. Sort of like when animals, or Pokemon in this matter, generally know when some kind of storm is coming.</p><p>Anyway, thank you for reading! I would love to hear your thoughts on the chapter.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. What Do You Want</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So I got suckered punch by life and I've been focused on attending to some personal and financial issues that have come up. Overall, I am fine and nothing to worry about, just hit a bump in life.</p><p>I do apologize that this chapter is well over two weeks late and it didn't help that I've rewritten this chapter several times. The ideas remained the same, but interactions and information revealed changed so many times. </p><p>With life happening, I am not sure I can keep to a strict schedule like I wanted to, but I will definitely write when I can and keep making sure each chapter reaches at least 4,000 words to keep the chapters long for you all to enjoy! (and I'm absolutely, totally not doing this at work instead of doing my actual work).</p><p>Disclaimer: Still do not own Pokemon and only own my characters.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“This lavender tea is quite delicious Jade. Your skills have definitely grown since I’ve last visited,” Opal complimented as she pulled her lips away from the teacup she held in her hand, the colorful bracelets around her wrist clinging together making a pleasant sound. Trinity and Opal sat comfortably at a round table in the back corner of the cafe with afternoon tea set up by Jade. A three-tier curate stand was filled with the normal foods and sweets that came with afternoon tea, surrounded by a predominately white tea set with rose motifs of pinks and reds decorating them. The television that previously was showing the exhibition match, hung behind Trinity, the screen black to indicate that it had been turned off.</p><p>After taking deep breaths for several minutes, Trinity managed to put herself together mentally and smooth out her disheveled appearance into something more presentable before entering the station to greet Opal. After only receiving a side comment about her lateness, she escorted Opal back to the cafe as their conversations moved to Trinity’s new haircut and questions about how life was in the castle city. When Trinity and Opal arrived, Jade already had afternoon tea set up at a table for the two of them. During the process of getting situated, Mari wandered from upstairs into the business where she gleefully greeted her previous trainer and current one. Handing Mari a berry tart from the sweets tier of curate stand, Trinity let Mari climb onto her shoulder and cling to her head affectionately as Jade set up at a table next to them. With no current customers, Jade took the opportunity to dry and polish freshly cleaned china to catch up Opal as well.</p><p>Generally, there were few children and teenagers residing in Ballonea, but those who did often looked to Opal as a role model. A former actress, a Gym Leader, and considered the guardian of Gilmwood Tangle, she was hard to not admire in general. In addition, Opal had taken it upon herself to help guide the ‘fairies of Ballonea’, as she liked to call the ‘younger ones’, to help them figure out their path and made sure she was an active figure in their lives. Trinity and Jade were no exceptions. Opal legally adopted Trinity and guided Jade to transform a hobby into a career path. Opal had touched and transformed many lives, more than anyone probably realized.</p><p>“I’m glad to hear that. It means that my barista classes are paying off.” Jade beamed at Opal’s compliment, placing down the dried cup.  </p><p>“You have put a lot of practice in too,” Trinity added, not wanting Jade to disregard all of her hard work. Trinity easily recalled countless afternoons of being Jade’s test subject for different brewing techniques as she scribbled down endless notes in numerous notebooks to find the perfect taste. All of them tucked away in a cabinet in their kitchen, readily available for Jade when she needed to reflect back. For the most time, Trinity enjoyed trying the different teas that Jade created and eventually would copy her favorite receipts from Jade’s notes.</p><p>Jade grinned widely towards Trinity in appreciation. “There is that too.”</p><p>“I am sure the effort you put into The Penny Whistle will blossom for everyone to enjoy.” Opal glanced around at the interior of the cafe, observing the three years of labor that Jade and Trinity poured into setting the business up.</p><p>All of the walls were painted with an ombre violet with the darkest shades near the ceiling before gradually becoming light as the wall neared the floor. The ceiling was painted to look like a starry sky with the violet shifting into a deep navy blue that seemed black. All the furniture was made out of a darker walnut wood in order to add to the twilight theme and atmosphere of the cafe.</p><p>Upon entering the cafe through the viridian door, the space to the left was reserved for people to file in and approach the counter to place their orders. A display case full of the decorated baked goods available for purchase in addition to their drinks. Along the leftmost wall were two, five shelf bookcases filled with various books from children’s books to novels for any customers to pick up and read during their stay. In between the two bookcases, a display case was mounted on the wall with five rows and five columns displaying different teacup designs.Underneath the teacup display case we potted plants of various sizes and lanterns holding unlit flower pressed candles. The theme of potted plants and lanterns with unlit candles littered through the cafe from hanging from the ceiling and crowding in corners. </p><p>On the right side of the cafe, circular tables with matching chairs lined up in a specific pattern to allow space but maximize the amount of tables that could be fit without being too crowded. In the corners, two larger tables were set to allow an occupancy of six to eight for larger groups. Geometric shaped shelves and paintings filled the wall to keep the walls from being too bare. The final touch was a stand holding a chalkboard advertising deliveries for baked goods and commissioned handwritten letters done by Trinity. A sample letter taped near the top, calligraphy and cursive handwriting filled the page for anyone to see and consider.</p><p>Opal paused from observing the room as if she had just considered something. “Is it just the two of you working here?”</p><p>Jade picked up another teacup from her plastic container, moving her hands slowly to dry and polish the cup with care. “Thankfully, we have one other person who is helping us. Skylar Clarke. He’s a local and has really helped us out by spreading the word that we’re open.” She placed the cup down onto her table. “He also runs the social media account for The Penny Whistle to keep information available for the public.”</p><p>Trinity grinned widely at the thought of Skylar. He was always an interesting individual to have around in Trinity;s opinion and enjoyed his company. She added on to Jade’s comment. “He also brings in more customers when he works. He appears to be a big hit with the ladies.” </p><p>Whenever Skylar was on shift, it never failed that there was a surge of female customers.Trinity couldn’t blame them though, Skylar was <em> the </em> definition of tall, dark and handsome. He even caught the attention of Jade’s normally business focused mind, which was an impressive feat in Trinity’s book. Flawless, evenly toned tanned skin blessed his athletic form. He easily towered over most individuals with his height. Long, juniper colored locks were braided tightly along the top of his scalp and the remaining tight braids would have hung down to his shoulders if they were not held together in a ponytail. But it was his eyes that caught every woman’s attention, drops of golden honey that were strikingly bright in contrast to his darker complexion. If his eyes did not do it, his bright and charming smile certainly did. His total appearance and aesthetics reminded Trinity of the Alola region, and the fact alone made him stand out even more.</p><p>Skylar always denied that he brought in more customers, but both Jade and Trinity could see a difference on the days he worked because it was also those days where it felt like a battleground to them. Often enough they had to deal with the accusing, narrow eyed looks from the female customers as they finally noticed their presence around him while Skylar was blissfully unaware of everything around him. </p><p>Jade rolled her eyes at Trinity’s comment at the thought of the unnecessary jealousy those female customers brought as Opal laughed gleefully. “It’s unfortunate that I won’t get to meet him today!”</p><p>“Maybe next time,” Jade offered with a slight sigh to Opal’s joyous laugh. As much as she sighed and complained about him from time to time, Trinity knew Jade was incredibly curious about him. She just had to wait for the perfect opportunity to bring it up, especially since she still had to extract revenge for Jade’s morning stunt with Mrs. Caldwell. “Eventually, we will have to hire at least two more people if business continues to pick up the way that it has.”</p><p>Mari, seemingly bored with the three women conversing, jumped off of Trinity’s shoulders and floated down to the ground effortlessly. She wandered around in a circle, focusing on the ground before she lowered herself towards the shadows beneath Trinity’s chair. Trinity briefly glanced down, curious to see what Mari was doing as Mari started tapping her paw at the shadows before she realized that Mari was trying to get Jasper to come out of the shadows. Silently, she wished Mari luck to try and get Jasper to come out. Jasper generally enjoyed resting in the shadows rather than appearing out in the open, especially during the day. </p><p>Opal nodded to Jade’s comment, understanding. “It’s better to be prepared than overunned with customers.”</p><p>“On the note of being prepared,” Trinity started watching Mari a little longer before readjusting her attention back to Opal. “How are things with your search for a replacement going? Anyone catch your attention in Motostoke?” </p><p>Trinity was curious to see if there were any new prospects her guardian was considering. It’s been months since Opal’s declaration of searching for a replacement. Many were eager to try and impress Opal, according to Theodora’s last letter as she had detailed the surge of visitors in Ballonae, previous Gym Challengers from years past and current ones alike, but the majority left disappointed that they had failed their interview or were defeated by Opal in battle. The rare few who passed the interview and managed to defeat Opal were just not what Opal was searching for. </p><p>It was the heavy sigh from Opal that caught Mari’s attention since Jasper refused to leave Trinity’s shadow. Mari wandered over to Opal, her paws touching her leg in concern. Opal smiled briefly at the Pokemon and gently rubbed the top of Mari’s cotton mane earning a satisfied sound. “None so far. I caught some straggler Challengers battle against Kabu but I haven’t seen any with the talent I am looking for.” </p><p>Jade pipped in this time, placing down her towel that she had been using to dry the delicate china. “I heard from Annette that you had an issue with a trainer?”</p><p>That caught Trinity by surprise. She had not heard about any issues of late in regards to the Gym, but Opal’s gaze hardened instantly, clearly recalling the incident Jade had inquired about. “Yes. There was an issue with a Challenger by the name of Oliver Williams.” </p><p>Opal leaned back in her chair rubbing her temple with her two of her fingers. “As you know, any Gym Challenger can challenge a Gym Leader multiple times until they acquire a badge. It gives trainers opportunities to apply what they have learned from those matches and to grow. However, we do get a few bad apples every year, but most do not make it past Kabu. He has always been exceptional in weeding out the competition, particularly with individuals who have negative egos that could potentially harm their peers or even themselves.”</p><p>“Mr. Williams has attempted his challenge against me four times now, which is something not unheard of. Generally, Gym Leaders get a sense of the nature of repeating Challengers such as what their strengths and weaknesses are. Unfortunately, Mr. Williams does have a rather explosive temperament and does not take to losing well, which is overall not a good combination. He doesn’t seem to learn from his defeats from the little I’ve seen with our rematches. His strategies are the same, but his Pokemon are stronger in terms of leveling up.” Opal paused to shake her head. </p><p>“With his most recent defeat, he was carrying an additional Pokemon than the maximum allowed as a Gym Challenger. He called out a seventh Pokemon to charge an attack as I approached the center of the field to shake his hand for the battle.”</p><p>“<em> What </em>?!” Both women screeched in absolute disbelief, startling Mari into a high jump in the air reaching the ceiling’s height. In turn the sudden movement startled both of the young women. Jade placed a hand over her rapidly beating heart as Trinity took a shaky breath as she stood up, her arms and hands stretched out towards her cotton fluff of a Pokemon. Opal, on the other hand, watched the sequence with an amused expression, clearly not startled in any way. </p><p>“Rii~” Mari slowly floated down towards Trinity as she gathered her Pokemon safely in her arms.</p><p>“Sorry for scaring you Mari,” Trinity apologized quietly and she hugged the Pokemon tightly despite the fact that her blood was boiling at the thought that someone had attempted to hurt Opal. Trinity sat back down in her seat, placing the Pokemon in her lap while plucking another berry treat to give Mari to munch on as an apology. Mari happily took the offering, and as Trinity kept Mari secured in her arms and lap. </p><p>After Mari was settled and attended to, Trinity could see the flames of anger raging in Jade’s eyes as she spoke again, mirroring what Trinity was feeling. “What happened afterwards?”</p><p>“Thankfully, Mawile was still out and managed to block the attack. She realized what was happening before I could react. Referees and security immediately went out onto the field to take the Challenger into custody.”</p><p>Trinity was relieved to hear the Mawile protected Opal from the surprise attack. With Opal’s age, whether she liked it or not, the attack could have easily put her out of commission for a few weeks, potentially prolonging the Gym Challenge until Opal was back on her feet or a temporary replacement would battle on her behalf.</p><p>“The last I’ve been updated with is that Mr. Williams is going to have his Gym Challenger status revoked and will be banned from entering any Gym Challenges in the future. They’re still processing him and about to finish witness testimonies for the record to support the decision.”</p><p>“Are-?”</p><p>Before the conversation could go any deeper, the bell by the front door went off.</p><p>“Come on Hop,” A female’s voice filled the quiet cafe. “A little break from traveling is good! And I’ve been wanting to visit this place since I saw a picture on Pokegram! We can leave tomorrow in the morning.”</p><p>“All right, all right! But tomorrow we <em> have </em> to start heading out to Stow-On-Side!”</p><p>Jade grimaced slightly at the timing the two customers came in. She inhaled deeply before replacing the grimace look with a bright, welcoming smile. She placed her towel on the table and headed straight for the entrance. She immediately greeted the two, introducing herself and pointed towards the hanging chalkboard that listed everything that was available, clearly explaining what was available.</p><p>Trinity peered over Opal’s shoulder curiously towards the two young teens and observed them. One was a female with a bright hot pink dress covered with a grey, knitted parka and short dark brown hair peeking out of a green knitted cap holding on the arm of a male as if she was making sure he wouldn’t run away. However, Trinity found herself staring at him the most. He looked familiar somehow with his spiked back purple locks, dark skin and his body constantly moving as if he couldn’t sit still. She couldn’t place where she had seen him before as the female dragged her companion towards the counter and Jade walked behind it to assist them further. </p><p>Opal peered over her shoulder momentarily noticing Trinity’s stare before chuckling to herself catching Trinity’s attention. “Do you know them?”</p><p>“They’re Gym Challengers endorsed by Leon.”</p><p>Trinity blinked and blinked again, trying to process the information that was just given to her. “Leon<em> actually </em> endorsed someone? And not just one, but <em> two </em>?”</p><p>Opal lifted her cup and finished it’s contents before speaking again. “I forget that you don’t actively watch the Gym Challenges anymore. His younger brother, Hop, and Gloria, who is also from Postwick, were endorsed this year. Chairman Rose also has endorsed someone this year as well, though, I missed him in the crowd at the opening ceremony.”</p><p><em> ‘Leon’s younger brother…’ </em> Trinity thought, realizing why he looked so familiar to her. Although Leon had styled his hair differently when he was younger, they looked strikingly similar and their eager energy was the same. A flash of running into Leon and Raihan skipped across her consciousness, but immediately she pushed the memory aside. She didn’t need to think about them. Not now.</p><p>Opal reached out for a tea sandwich of hazelnut chocolate and cream cheese on the lower tier of the curate stand as Trinity picked up the teapot to pour Opal a fresh batch of jasmine tea.</p><p>“This year seems to be packed full of events. Two endorsements for Leon, an endorsement from Chairman Rose, and your incident at the Gym, which I am very thankful that you are okay,” she added trying to steer the conversation back to the original topic, but Opal causally waved her hand to dismiss it as she finished her sandwich. </p><p>“Thank you my fairy,” Opal thanked as Trinity placed the teapot down and Opal placed her hands to feel the warmth seeping through the cup. “I appreciate the concern, but I would be lying if something like this hasn’t happened before.” </p><p>Trinity frowned slightly at the thought leaning her cheek on Mari’s cotton mane, unconsciously searching for comfort. She decided to not press the conversation seeing that Opal was unconcerned about the incident and it was clear that she did not want to speak of it anymore.</p><p>“I am curious about those two though,” Opal started bringing the attention back to the young trainers. “We’ll see if Leon will be able to hold onto his crown. Or maybe one of them could replace me. What do you think?”</p><p>Trinity went back to watching the two Challengers from her spot. Gloria and Hop were going back and forth on what to get before shooting questions towards Jade. ‘<em> They must have some talent for Leon to pick them after all these years without endorsing anyone </em>,’ Trinity considered noting that they were still young, but she reminded herself that Leon was just as young when he claimed his crown.</p><p>“It’s entirely possible,” Trinity started, wondering. She had never seen them battle and it was hard to gage without looking at them properly. “There is always someone who will be better, it's just when they will come around.” Trinity lifted her head away from Mari’s mane, and picked up her tea cup for the first time. Slowly, she took a sip enjoying the still warm liquid warming her throat. </p><p>“Well said.” Opal went quiet for a moment before reaching out and removing Trinity’s glasses from her face. She placed them, folded, in the middle of the table. “When you are with me, can you not wear these? I understand why you want to wear them, but you do not need them around me.”</p><p>Trinity sheepishly nodded. “Sorry.”</p><p>Once she had moved to Hammerlocke, she began wearing non-prescribed glasses to try and blend in with the crowd easier. It was a back and forth conversation that she had with Opal many times before. Opal disagreed with Trinity’s choice to hide herself, but Trinity knew she understood at the same time. It was a complicated situation with complicated feelings on both sides.</p><p>“Any contact since the last time?” Trinity shook her head before reaching up and retucking any loose locks behind her ear. She hadn’t had any contact with any of her family since her Gym Challenge and she hoped to keep it that way. “Good. Hopefully that witch will stay in her own region and leave you be.”</p><p>Trinity smiled weakly at Opal’s comment. Trinity appreciated Opal’s protectiveness, but her mother had a talent of getting her way in some way or form. Fame and money went a long way. “Thank you Opal.”</p><p>Opal returned the smile as she reached down into her little purse. “I have something to give you that I think you will enjoy.” Opal held out a small, flat item for Trinity to take. She reached out and took the item, finding that it was an old photograph. Trinity felt Mari shift in her lap trying to look at the item as well. Trinity lowered it so that both of them could examine the photo.</p><p>It was a photo of two male teenagers smiling towards the camera with their arms around each other's shoulders in a dining room based on the furniture in the background. It took her a moment, but she realized that it was taken at her uncle’s home, or rather, her home now. Immediately, she recognized her father, Terrance, on the right side with his dark shade of lavender eyes staring back at her. Jet black colored locks curled around his face and ears, softening his features. She was surprised to see a silver hoop in one of his ears hugging the earlobe. She could not recall him wearing one in her younger days when he was still alive. Next to him was clearly his older brother, the only other sibling that her father had. Her uncle looked nearly identical with the exception of bright viridian orbs and his curly hair was much longer and pulled into a low ponytail. Both wearing fancy clothing that no one would wear nowadays with golden crowns placed upon their heads.</p><p>“Terrance and Trent were known as troublemakers of Ballonea back in the day, but they often participated in my theatraics during the off season of the Gym Challenge. This one was when they were playing the two heroes on the Darkest Day.”</p><p>It was odd to see a picture of two individuals that were no longer around in this world. “Do you mind if I keep it?” Trinity inquired, not removing her eyes from the photo. She tried recalling if she had seen any pictures of her father when he was younger. She remembered seeing plenty of her mother, family pictures, her siblings at their different ages, but not of her father individually or of his side of his family. Even when he passed, her mother never put anything up to remind herself of him. </p><p>“Only if you do me a favor first.”</p><p>This caught Trinity’s attention. Immediately, Trinity forced her eyes away from the photo to meet her guardian's mint gaze. She never asked for favors. “Of course. What can I do for you?”</p><p>“I want you to paint me a picture.”</p><p>Ღ</p><p>Trinity stared at the pile of print out paper of commissioned letters that she needed to hand write on the coffee table amongst a stack of blank stationery sets before shifting her gaze to the empty sketchbook that she dug out of her closet. Placing a hand on her cheek, Trinity was finding that she didn’t have any motivation to work with the swirl of emotions from the day beginning to overwhelm her, particularly with Opal. She was sad to see Opal leave so soon, but she appreciated the fact that she took the time to come visit despite her busy schedule. Since Opal’s schedule was full of Challengers starting bright and early tomorrow, she had left by Flying Taxi before it was too late in the evening.</p><p>Although her encounter with Raihan and Leon threw her through a storm of emotions, Opal's visit claimed her attention for the evening and her request hung heavy on Trinity’s shoulders.</p><p>
  <em> I want you to paint me a picture. Paint me something you want to do with your life. </em>
</p><p>Trinity hasn’t lifted a paint brush, with the exception of painting the walls down stairs, since moving to Hammerlocke, let alone sketch anything. She was severely out of practice and Opal’s request weighed on her. Opal never requested favors and art was a skill that she always excelled at, even when she was still living in Hoenn, so she should easily be able to accomplish the request after a few days of practice. In theory. But to express something that she wanted to do with her life was difficult. She couldn’t just do whatever she wanted without the possibility of severe consequences. She had lived through it once and she wasn’t sure if she would be able to do it again.</p><p>Trinity closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the couch, blocking out the artificial light of the living room and sank deeper into her thoughts. Such a simple question. What <em> did </em> she want with her life? There were many things she wanted. She wanted to be able to express herself without having to hide who she was. She wanted to reconnect with her friends that she made during her Gym Challenge. She wanted to be Opal’s replacement and Ballonae’s Gym Leader. She wanted to live without being in someone else’s shadow. She wanted to be <em> free </em>. How could she express all of this onto a canvas, let alone create something worthy for the woman who saved her so many times that she lost count. </p><p>“You’re going to get wrinkles on your forehead if you keep thinking that hard.” Trinity winced at the light smack on the middle of her forehead. Opening her eyes, she narrowed her eyes accusingly at her roommate, who peered over her form from behind the couch. Jade grinned widely in response, lifting up strands of her auburn hair into view. “Can you french braid my hair?”</p><p>“You smacked me just so I could braid your hair?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>They stared at each other, lavender to blue steel, for a few moments before a heavy escaped Trinity’s lips as she rubbed the tender spot on her forehead. She waved her hand for Jade to sit in front of her with a beckoning motion, which she did without a single word. Trinity sat up straight as Jade settled herself onto the floor in front of Trinity, turning on the television to keep her attention while Trinity worked at her hair. Immediately, Trinity ran her fingers through Jade’s long, thick locks multiple times, detangling any knots that occurred throughout the day.</p><p>Jade remained silent as Trinity focused and prepped Jade’s thick, auburn mane. Eventually, Trinity managed to work out all the knots from Jade’s hair and her fingers began to run smoothly though her stands without a hitch. Before she started sectioning off Jade’s hair, Jade spoke up, an uncharacteristic hesitation dripping from her voice. “I have a question… if you don’t mind me asking?” </p><p>Trinity made a positive sound of acknowledgement, primarily focused on her task at hand.</p><p>“With the conversations with Opal today and you asking about potential replacements for Opal’s job… Why hasn’t Opal offered you the Gym Leader position?” As soon as she asked her question, Jade’s words suddenly became rushed, pouring out like a waterfall. “I mean, not that I doubt Opal in her search, but Opal inherited the position from her mother and I assumed that since she was your guardian that it would make sense that you would have taken over the position?”</p><p>Without missing a beat, Trinity began weaving along Jade's scalp on the left side. Back and forth, over and under. Trinity could feel Jade fidget underneath her fingertips, clearly uncomfortable about bringing up the subject and not getting an immediate response. However, Trinity was surprised that it took Jade so long to bring up the topic, but she wasn’t the only one who wondered why Trinity had not taken the mantle of the Gym. Many residents of Ballonae had questioned her just as some had questioned Opal about it. Eventually, the day came where Opal had requested a dinner between the two of them to discuss some matters. </p><p>Trinity immediately knew it was in regards to the position since she had been pestered non stop from others and she was positive that Opal was experiencing the same. She took a Flying Taxi to Ballonae for the weekend, needing the break of prepping the cafe. However, it was a long and difficult conversation for the both of them. It was also the first time Trinity had seen Opal look so torn about something instead of her quiet confidence and assurance.</p><p>Opals words filled her head as she continued weaving without conscious thought.</p><p>
  <em> “I wanted you to be my replacement.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Trinity picked up the past tense of Opal’s sentence. Her chest tightened realizing that she had wanted the position more than she originally believed. At first, she didn’t think much of it, but with all the wonder if she was going to be the one made her unconsciously hope. It was odd to realize something about yourself in the moment of losing it. She had thrust herself into aiding Jade in pursuing her dream the past few years, but it was not what she wanted for herself. This could have been something she could take up. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I still remember your Gym match against me. It  was splendid and you glowed with such a vibrant pink that I knew you would be a perfect candidate for replacing me. The moment you defeated me, I was so proud to see you come so far with such a small nudge out the door. It was as if your path was opening up to you since you arrived in Galar, and I was quite excited to see how far you would go.”  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Opal paused, closing her eyes as she inhaled deeply, as if preparing herself for the following words. Trinity didn’t want to hear them knowing where the conversation was turning to. Opal’s mint gaze met her own, holding them. “But… with what happened that night and with your withdrawal from the Challenge, I had to reconsider everything.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> The words stung much more than she had anticipated, but it was a familiar feeling. She felt her eyes prickle painfully, but she kept the tears in. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Is it…” Her voice cracked and she had to clear her throat, trying again with a stronger voice to hide the hurt. “Is it because I didn’t complete the Challenge back then…? Because I failed?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “No.” It was such a quick and firm response that Trinity was slightly taken back. “You did not fail in any way shape or form. The fault lies with that witch for what she did.”  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Opal stopped, realizing her anger was slipping through. With another deep breath, her wrinkled hand reached out and covered Trinity’s before speaking again in a quieter, gentler tone. “My fairy, I want nothing more for you to take over the Gym in my place, but… that is selfish on my part. After years of experience, you can see things from a different perspective from everyone else. What you need... changed that night. Leading a Gym, the people of Ballonae and residence within the Glimwood Tangle are not going to help you or your recovery. You need to thrive in a different environment that is not here.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I’m sorry, my fairy.” </em>
</p><p>“Trinity?”</p><p>Jade’s voice forced Trinity back into the present. She lightly shook her head to shake away the reminisce of the memory. Trinity took a moment, finishing Jade’s left braid and tied it off with a hair tie from the pile on the coffee table. “It was the original plan for me to take over.”</p><p>Thankfully, Jade didn’t press as Trinity took a moment to try and find the words to explain the situation without revealing everything about what happened. It was a private conversation and there were still many things that Jade did not know about her past despite their solid friendship. Her past in Hoenn was something that she wanted to bury and never see or think of again. However, the unfortunate reality was that she remained in its shadow as it dictated her life.</p><p>“Things changed and she believes that running a Gym will do more harm than good to me.” Trinity forced her hands to start moving again, switching to the right side of Jade’s scalp to finish her request.”She understands Gym life much better than any of us, probably better than most of the other Gym Leaders.” </p><p>There was a brief moment of silence. “...Did you want the position?”</p><p>Trinity didn’t answer immediately. Her hands kept working until she tied off the braide to hold it together. When she finished, she finally spoke again. “... I did.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for stopping by and reading this story! New introductions should be happening soon such as meeting Skylar and Trinity's last Pokemon! Trinity only has three so only one more to meet for now!</p><p>As always, I appreciate any comments or feedback to see what how you guys are feeling about the story. I'm going to write it regardless, but reading comments always reassures me that there are some who are enjoying the story!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Letter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It's been a long time since I last posted anything and I'm sorry for the long wait. Thank you to all who commented and gave kudos for the story! I really need to start making a list of those I want to thank for each chapter!</p><p>For those who are wondering/notice, I did delete the previous Chapter 3. I did a rework of the story and suddenly Chapter 3 and the following chapter I had written no longer made sense or fit into the story line, thus I purged them. Some parts will probably manifest again but merely in different situations.</p><p>Anyway, on to the chapter, and I hope that you all enjoy the new Chapter 3!</p><p>Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, just my original characters.</p><p>[Updated: 08/24/2020]</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Finally!” Trinity interlocked her long fingers and lifted her arms high above her head, enjoying the feel of her muscles stretching after a long day of waiting on what felt like endless customers as Jade stepped back inside the cafe after switching their hanging sign from “Open” to “Closed”.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jade rolled her eyes at Trinity’s exclamation before tossing a soft rag from her apron pocket towards her roommate, who barely reacted fast enough to catch it. “Just because the sign says we’re closed doesn’t mean we’re done. You handle wiping down the tables and I’ll start working on cleaning behind the counter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity sighed lightly at Jade’s instructions. She pushed her fake glasses up from the bridge of her nose to the top of her head, holding back strands of her bangs that managed to slip out of their bobby pin before moving to grab a spray bottle filled with a cleaning solution from underneath the sink and moved away from the behind the counter to let Jade do her side of the work. She walked over to the back corner table where their only other coworker sat, his fingers furiously moving across the keyboard of his laptop, unaware of the world around him. His presence was one reason why the day was so busy since word spread through the grapevine that he was here among his fans, but thankfully, there was not an overwhelming presence throughout the day. Noting that he had not noticed her approach, she gently nudged his foot with hers to gain his attention. His fingers paused in mid stride before he moved his honey eyes up to meet hers, recognition mirrored in his orbs. Reaching up, he pulled down his bulky headphones from over his ears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cleaning your table first so I can leave you to do your work Skylar,” Trinity announced her intentions, holding up her cleaning items as proof.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Skylar’s lips spread into a wide grin, showing off his perfect, pearly whites. “Appreciate the thought.” He lifted his laptop from the surface of the table to the chair beside him, allowing space for Trinity to do her work. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity sprayed the table with the cleaning solution before tossing the rag onto the wooden table and began scrubbing in circular motions across the surface to make sure that she was cleaning spaces multiple times. “How’s the website coming along?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great!” Excitement laced in Skylar’s voice. “The Penny Whistle is already gaining followers on Pokegram from the few pictures that we took and people have been tagging themselves at our location so the word is spreading. Once the website is done, we’ll be able to advertise much better,’ Skylar explained. Out of the three of them, Skylar had a better handle with technology making him the perfect person to be in charge of all of their social media outlets. Creating a website was merely his newest project that he decided to tackle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The goal is to get it done within the next week. Gym Challengers have already been passing through to continue on to their journey and there is at least another two months before the remaining Challengers make it to Raihan! Then everyone will be coming here to the stadium to watch the last Challengers before making their way to Wyndon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity smiled at Skylar’s enthusiasm as she moved to the next table beside him, continuing to clean. “That is if any Challengers can beat Raihan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Skylar checked his section of the table to see if it had dried, before placing down his laptop back on the table and waving his hand towards Trinity as if dismissing her comment. “There’s always at least two Challengers that get all eight badges every year.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But they usually end up being defeated by Raihan in the tournament to face Leon, that is if they can get past the other Gym Leaders again,” Trinity retorted, feeling pride swelling in her chest. Although they were not speaking, her friend, who would always find himself in trouble during their journeys, had grown into an incredibly strong, and reliable trainer that was the pride of Hammerlocke. She couldn’t help but be proud of his achievements. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It's been a long time since we’ve seen anyone other than Raihan challenge Leon for the Champion title. What was her name...” Trinity added, paused her circular motion with the rag in her hand, thinking hard to remember the Challenger’s name. “It was about five years ago. She had the bright auburn orange hair that was always in a bun,” Trinity described the little details she remembered of the Challenger. It was around the time that Jade and herself were in the transition of moving to Hammerlock. With the whirl of moving to another city, it was difficult to pay attention to what was going on with the Challenges. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Skylar leaned back in his hair, eyes turned up towards the ceiling in thought. “I know who you are talking about, but I can’t remember her name either...” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Isabella Steele,” Jade called out from her spot across the cafe. “She was invited to participate that year from Hoenn.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hoenn? Well… I guess that’s not surprising when you think about it, “Skylar commented leaning back in his seat. “They generally have strong trainers and Kabu is originally from Hoenn as well. How do you remember her name anyway?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like her style. She always seems to be planning potential outcomes as she battles, which is probably why she got pretty close to defeating Leon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As if anyone is going to defeat Leon. Leon will be our pride and joy for a few more years at least. If anything Raihan would be the one to finally defeat him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity decided to remain quiet as she continued with her task at hand, half-listening to the discussion of opinions between her coworkers. The topic of Hoenn pulled her deep into regions of her mind, recalling memories of her childhood and hometown of Lilycove City. Her heart ached to return to the tropical region. She missed the sea-scented air carried upon the ocean breeze in the early, lazy afternoons and the lull of warm waves that crashed upon the white, sandy beaches. She missed running through the streets with her siblings to see who would win the race to the port and see if their father would return from his voyage. She missed the days when they were simple and happy before it all came crashing down like a violent hurricane ripping apart everything in its path. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unconsciously, she bit her bottom lip the more her thoughts shifted from the happy memories to the ones that lead to her despair. The anger she felt towards her family when she left Hoenn never dissipated. At the beginning of her new life, it often swirled in her chest like a violent storm and often it would seep out in her actions. Eventually, she learned to bottle the anger away, but to only be replaced with another negative emotion; fear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Trinity.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity jumped when she felt a pressure on her shoulder, not expecting the touch. She peered over her shoulder, still clutching onto her items to see Jade’s concerned expression. “Hey… are you alright? We’ve been calling your name for a bit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly, Trinity relaxed her grip. “Sorry, got lost in thought.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jade stared into Trinity’s eyes for a long moment before giving a small nod, but Trinity knew the long look was a clear, silent message that she was concerned. “It’s alright.” Jade removed her hand from Trinity’s shoulder before holding out an envelope. “You must have been in deep since someone was knocking on the door to deliver this to you. One of the Hammerlock’s trainers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity’s heart leaped into her throat and her stomach turned with emotions. Her memories of home were immediately pushed to the back of her mind as she placed her cleaning items onto the table and took the envelope from Jade’s grasp. Her name was elegantly written on the front and instantly recognized Opal’s handwriting. Her brows knitted in confusion. Why would a Hammerlock trainer deliver a letter from Opal? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Flipping the envelope around, the wax seal of Ballonlea’s Gym symbol remained sealed against the paper. She broke the seal and pulled the letter out, unfolding it to read the letter.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Trinity,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I need to come to Ballonlea as soon as possible.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Opal</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Deepening her furrow, she flipped behind the sheet of paper to see if there was anything written on the back but there was nothing else. She returned it forward, eyes scanning the page again to give any more clues or hints to what the urgency of returning to Ballonlea could be about. At the bottom right corner she found her answer, it was the elaborate flower design, the same design at Ballonlea’s pitch. To anyone looking at the letter would have either missed it or it would have meant nothing to them, but to Trinity it was a clear message that only she and Opal would understand. Something wasn’t right in the Glimwood Tangle.Immediately, the nervous flutter from earlier twisted into uncomfortable knots.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She lifted her gaze up to find that her two coworkers were watching her with uncertainty. “I’m sorry Jade… I need to leave for Ballonlea as soon as possible and I’m not sure how long I will be there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Surprisingly, Skylar spoke before Jade, concern heavily laced in his normally confident voice. “Is everything okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity hesitated to answer Skylar’s question. She wasn’t a hundred percent on what was going on, but it was something serious enough to have Opal call upon her was not a comforting notion. “I’m… not sure. Something is going on in the Glimwood and Opal wants me to return.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jade nodded, understanding. It was situations like these that she was grateful that she worked with Jade. Jade understood that Trinity had a duty towards the Ballonlea and the Glimwood Tangle that others would have trouble comprehending. She was not a Ballonlea trainer, but she had developed the skill set that Opal was the only other than herself could do. Something that the future Ballonlea Gym Leader would have to learn and master themselves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shall I call a Flying Taxi?” Jade inquired.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you could. I need to go pack… would you mind emailing my customers with their commissions as well? Just let them know there may be a delay due to a…” Trinity paused briefly, mulling over the terminology to use. “...family emergency?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Jade reassured as she pulled her cell phone out from her apron pocket. “Now, hurry up and get packing. The taxi will be here before you know it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.” Trinity immediately began untying her apron as Skylar approached.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He held out his hand. “Here, let me put it up while you go up stairs.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity smiled gently at him, thanking him for his help as she handed over her apron before quickly ascending up the stairs to the apartment level of the townhouse. Opening the door to the common room, she was promptly greeted by her two fairy Pokemon bounding their way over to her from the living room, completely abandoning whatever they were doing. Lowering herself to a squat, she placed a hand on each of their heads; Whimsicott’s soft cotton and Kirlia’s smooth top was an immediate sense of comfort. “Mari, Serenity I’m going to need you to go in your pokeballs. We’re traveling back to Ballonlea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hearing the news of returning home, the two Pokemon exclaimed in excitement before bolting towards her room where she kept their pokeballs. Glancing down at her shadow, she lightly tapped the wooden floor with the front of her flats. “That’s going to include you Jasper.” Reluctant red eyes gleamed back at her, before her shadow shifted and twisted until it morphed into her Gengar’s form, hovering before her. “I know you are not a fan, but I’ll let you back out once we arrive in Ballonlea, okay?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jasper grumbled in a low tone, but slowly made his way towards her room, clearly less excited about being cooped up in his pokeball than the other two.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Following in tow, Trinity entered her room and shut the door giving her access to the purses and small bags that she had hanging from behind the door. Grabbing a smaller messenger bag than what she normally carried, she tossed it onto her bed and removed the fake glasses from the top of her head. She only planned on taking a few items since her property in Ballonae had plenty of clothes and personal hygiene items that she didn’t need to bring anything in that nature. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She thrust opened her closet and began stripping her work clothes off to put on a set of clean clothes. Black tights covered her legs while white shorts with a laced pattern hem layering over her leggings. As for her top, she threw on the pink and mint swirl Ballonlea’s Gym Uniform shirt, attempting to show her association with the Gym. The League rotated their staff members every year so she assumed that no one would know who she was. There was a high probability that she would still probably be stopped despite the uniform top, but it was worth a shot. If she was lucky they would not be paying much attention to her amongst the crowd and merely assume that she was one of Opal’s trainers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Walking over to her vanity, she pulled out her drawer and removed a small, wooden jewelry box. She gently placed the box down before opening the top revealing a single piece of jewelry, a silver chain necklace with the Ballonlea’s pitch flower design as the pendant.The pendant itself was the size of a cream puff, but the multi-colored petals were made of thin layer of glass lined with silver to keep everything in place. Trinity admired the beautiful and unique craftsmanship; the necklace was a very old and very priceless item, with five in total of existence, that had been passed down through the decades, but it held no hint of tarnishment or years of wear. Opal always said that the necklaces were blessed with fairy magic, and originally, she did not believe her adopted mother until years passed by and it shined like it was just created. She hooked the necklace around her neck and carefully set the pendant in between her collarbones.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity stared at her mirror, her eyes taking in her appearance and looking for anything out of place. She knew she was doing her habit, but right now, she needed something routine, something familiar, to calm her nerves. Her fingers worked strands of loose hair back into their pins before inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. The twisting knots in her stomach hadn’t disappeared, but she had to keep walking forward. It was a duty that she had accepted when Opal began teaching her the inner workings to the Tangle. Peace had to be kept or else Ballonlea would no longer exist. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Returning her focus on preparing to leave, she grabbed her three pokeballs rested comfortably on top of a wooden pedestal carved with twisting vines and full bloom flowers that she kept on her vanity. Trinity turned towards her Pokemon. Jasper was all ready slinking to the back corner with a frown on his face as Serenity, and Mari approached. Crouching again to meet Mari’s and Serenity’s eye level, she smiled gently towards them holding their pokeballs in each hand, while Jasper’s own pokeball rested in her lap. “I promise it won’t be for long.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mari approached with a little hop and pressed her paw on her pokeball without hesitation and disappeared in a flash of light. Serenity approached in a more graceful manner, placing her paw on her hand reassuring her. Trinity peered into Serenity’s confident gaze and realized that Serenity was sensing her nerves. At her touch, the nerves slowly faded away and she felt more clear headed. “Thank you Serenity,” Trinity spoke quietly, feeling more assured with the nerves gone. Serenity made a sound of acknowledgment, tilting her head to the side with a smile, before pressing the button of her pokeball and disappeared in her own flash of light.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Standing up, Trinity moved to put the two pokeballs in her messenger bag leaving one more to be filled. “All right, your turn Jasper.” Jasper hesitantly approached her realizing that there was no getting out of it before sitting down in front of her, sulking. She patted the top of his head before pressing the button of the dusk ball herself, recalling Jasper to the safety of his pokeball. Trinity packed Jasper’s pokeball into her bag with the other two before packing a sketchbook and some pencils along with them before slinging the bag over her shoulder. Slipping on mint colored sneakers, she made her back down to the cafe level with the flying taxi awaiting for her arrival outside the cafe. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Trinity approached her two friends standing outside, Skylar scooped her up in a bear hug forcing a surprised squeak from her. “Be careful you hear? Stay safe in your travels.” Trinity smiled returning the hug before he slowly lowered her, her feet finding the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you Skylar.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity moved to Jade and wrapped her arms around her for a tight hug, which she returned. “Be safe out there,” Jade spoke as she pulled away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity nodded before leaning in and whispering into Jade’s ear. “Don’t jump Skylar while I’m gone okay?” Immediately she pulled away, just in time to move out of range of Jade’s smack. With a small laugh, and satisfied that she had gotten such an immediate reaction, Trinity headed towards the taxi.As Trinity approached, the driver opened the door for her and she slid into her seat in a smooth movement. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unslinging her bag, the driver’s voice filled the taxi from the speaker installed at the top of the taxi. “It should take about an hour and a half to get there. Seems like the wind is on our side to get there today.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity pressed the intercom button at her side to respond to him. “I appreciate it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though she was in the taxi, she could feel the strength Corviknight’s wings beating against the air to lift them in the air. She waved good-bye to her friends through the window as the taxi was raised higher and higher in the air until they were well above the city of Hammerlocke and she could no longer see the two of them below. Trinity leaned back more into the seat of the taxi to settle herself for the trip and watched the landscape shift below her as they began to fly over the Wild Area. As time passed, with Serenity’s soothing energy keeping her worries and nerves far away, and the rhythmic sound of the flying wings from Corviknight, she found being soothed into a sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ღ</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity stared blankly at the empty canvas set up on the easel in front of her sitting form. Her painting supplies laid untouched on the small, foldable table next to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I want you to paint me a picture. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>At Opal’s voice, the empty canvas burst with color, swirling around creating different shades and hues as if being guided by an invisible hand. The colors created a beautiful, peaceful scene of the Ballonlea with the Gym centered as the focal point, the glowing mushrooms and lights of the building stood brightly against the darkness the thick Tangle provided. Her prison yet her sanctuary.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You have to be memorable to the crowd and charismatic to earn sponsorships later down when the competition becomes fierce.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>At the sound of her mother’s firm voice, the colors immediately began to swirl once again. The peaceful colors turned into brighter hues that initiated excitement, blurring and blending to create another painting. This time the painting created a stage with a vision of herself waving to the crowds of people that surrounded her, dressed up in the finest clothes with a Swablu perched on her shoulder. What she had been training hours upon hours to do, her debut into the Coordinator world. A debut that she was not sure she wanted. A debut that never happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Paint me something you want to do with your life.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Opal’s words filled her head again and the colors shifted, but before they could finish creating another piece, her mother’s words clashed with Opal’s sentence. The colors swirled together, unable to harmonize and the colors turned dark, muddy and undistinguishable. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Being remembered is everything in this competition, but you need to be remembered by your inspiring performances not for your failures.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She gripped her head as the two voices rang louder in her head as tears spilled from her closed eyes. “Am I a failure?” she whispered to herself. She lost everything in Hoenn, and eventually, lost almost everything again in Galar. She was not a coordinator. She was not a gym leader. What was she even doing anymore?</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“</span>
  </em>
  <span>Yes</span>
  <em>
    <span>.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Cold hands touched Trinity’s hands pulling them away from her head, sending a shiver down her spine before the cold hands released Trinity’s and moved to grip her shoulders. Gradually, Trinity opened her tear filled eyes again and her destroyed canvas had transformed into a large, oval mirror, decorated with silver ivy wrapping around the edges. She stared at the reflective image before her. Her short, raven colored hair hung in wild, untamed curls with a peak of opal studs shimmering from her ears. The Ballonlea’s pendant rested in between her collar bones. An alabaster hued maxi dress covered her sitting form, the bottom hem pooled around her bare feet and the thin straps barely held onto her shoulders. A long, periwinkle chiffon cardigan covered most of the dress, the hems stopping at her knees and leaving the front open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Behind her, the individual who had placed their hands on Trinity’s shoulders, was a vision of herself, but at the same time, different. Instead of being short, her curly hair was pulled into a stylized high pony that fell in soft ringlets to her shoulders; the same length it was before Trinity was convinced to cut it. Sideburns were left out of the pony tail, styled into soft curls, framing her face. Pear shaped diamonds hung from her ears with a matching necklace except that the diamonds were designed to make the shape of a sun. She wore exactly the same outfit with a slight variation; the dress tied around her neck instead of resting on her shoulders like Trinity’s and the length stopped her knees, at the same length as the cardigan that she wore. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The long-haired Trinity leaned forward, the same colored lavender eyes staring intensely into the reflection to meet Trinity’s gaze, before whispering into Trinity’s ear. “You know that’s why you were sent to the Glimwood Tangle to never see the light of day, right? You are a failure. Mother doesn’t need someone whose eyes strayed from the path set before her. The women in the Grace family always became Coordinators, and you are the first to not meet expectations. Of course you had to be shut away.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Moving one of her hands, the long-haired Trinity twirled the ends of Trinity’s untamed hair with a finger. “Why do you think mother moved her attention from you to Troy? The signs were obvious before you were sent far, </span>
  <em>
    <span>far</span>
  </em>
  <span> away from home so you would not continue to dirty the Grace family’s name.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity felt the despair swirling in her chest. Troy, her youngest sibling, was a victim of her mother’s intense and rigorous training to become a Coordinator. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Long-haired Trinity gave a gleeful laugh as if she could see the pain reflecting in Trinity’s eyes. She moved her hands away from the black tendrils of hair to touch the pendant around her neck. She made a small tsk sound at the sight of the pendant. “Already threw away the diamonds have you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She felt an old anger spark inside at the statement. “I was not the one to throw them away. Mother did when she sent me here.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I suppose so…” A hand caressed Trinity’s check, brushing away some tears that lingered. “But at least she left you breathing.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Long-haired Trinity pulled away, stepping back to give space between her and Trinity. She moved to the side of the mirror and touched the edge without a word. Trinity watched as her reflection changed before her eyes. Patches of her skin swelled with red and purple before trails of blood poured down from underneath her hairline over the right side of her face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sight broke Trinity. The tears rushed out as a painful sob racked her body at the memory. The night that robbed her of her Challenge. The night she lost her potential as a Gym Leader. The night she lost Raihan. She buried her face into her hands, feeling the warm blood and tears against her fingers. Her body ached remembering the pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Remember, next time, you may not be so lucky. ”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ღ</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The taxi jerked with movement and pain emitted for a corner of Trinity’s head forcing her awake from her nightmare. Wincing, she lightly touched the tender part of her forehead and checked her fingers to find no traces of blood that she had been expecting. Afterall, it was where she was bleeding in her nightmare. She slowly pieced together that she must have bumped her head against the window and was not truly bleeding. All of Serenity’s soothing energy she had provided before the trip was long gone and Trinity was filled with a mixture of chaotic emotions. Letting out a shaky breath, Trinity leaned her head back against the seat. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>It was just a dream</span>
  </em>
  <span>,’ she reassured herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had been a long time since she had a nightmare. Jasper usually ate away her dreams leaving her in a peaceful sleep, but with him inside his pokeball, the nightmares came back in full force. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Needing a distraction, Trinity turned her head to peered out of the window, realizing that the cause of the turbulence was due to Corviknight lowering them down into the Glimwood Tangle, forced to avoid the canopy of thick branches. The sight of home was able to calm her a bit, but the images of the nightmare lingered. The turbulence did not last long as the taxi soon with ease in front of the Ballonlea’s Gym.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stepping out, she paid her fee to the driver before focusing on the Gym. The sight gave her mixed feelings. It was where she had been given Mari and began her training to participate in the annual Gym Challenge. It was the last Gym badge she received before her forceful withdrawal of the competition. It was where she was announced that she was not a candidate as Opal’s successor. The Gym was where Trinity tried to start her life anew, and the place that she felt that she failed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A flicker of her bleeding form flashed in her mind and she forced her eyes closed. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>It was just a dream</span>
  </em>
  <span>,’ Trinity reminded herself, shaking her head to rid herself of the vision. Taking a deep, shaky breath, Trinity strengthened her resolve and began walking towards the Gym entrance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Since it was near the end of the day, there were fewer crowds than she would have liked, but it also meant that the League staffers were eager to complete their work day. No one gave her a second glance as she strolled towards an employee only door in the lobby and typed in the passcode to get in. Easily enough, she navigated the halls towards the theater hall where Trinity knew Opal would be located. Annette had written to her that Opal had been holding “auditions”, and any who passed would be put through a personal test at the pitch. As she entered the large room, it was darkened with only the stage lit up. Quietly, she shut the door behind her not to disturb the scene; a Challenger battling against Theodora, a Toxtricity against Gardevoir. Trinity mulled over the types of the two pokemon as she quietly approached behind Opal and her table.The battle could go either way due to Gardevoir’s weakness to poison, but Gardevoir’s psychic ability was a weakness to poison types. It merely depended on who was quicker and stronger. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity’s question was answered quickly. Gardevoir was much quicker and was able to take out the Toxtricity before any lethal damage could be done. Recalling their pokemon, the Challenger stood in the middle of the stage as Opal spoke. Routine encouragement was given, with some advice on things to consider, before the trainer retreated towards the exit with slow, dejected steps, obviously upset with their loss. At the sound of the door’s clang is when Trinity heard Opal’s sigh and the sound of a pen dropping against a notebook. Opal reached out for her tea cup to the side. “Thank you Theodora, please go and heal up before the next Challenger comes in. Also please send him in for a moment will you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will do.” Theodora met Trinity’s gaze and gave a small wave, which Trinity returned, before heading down the steps of the stage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You came earlier than I was expecting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity took her cue and stepped towards the light of the stage. With ease, she did a small hop and sat on the edge of the stage so she could see Opal more clearly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jade called a taxi as I packed.” Trinity took the opportunity to observe Opal. She could see the exhaustion of stress in Opal’s eyes and demeanor, but she clearly was keeping to her schedule regardless of what she felt. “I saw the symbol. What is going on that you need me to be a liaison for?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a long heavy sigh that escaped Opal, amplifying Trinity’s worries. “I’ll explain in more detail during dinner my fairy. I have a tight schedule to finish up with today, but to make a long story short, the Pokemon in the Glimwood are irritated by something, or someone, and I unfortunately do not have the time to go out and find what the cause is. The height of my Gym season is keeping me busy along with the whole situation with the trainer I spoke to you about a while back and looking for a successor. You are the only other who knows how to be the liaison between the Pokemon and humans in the Glimwood. I need your help to figure out what is going on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity processed Opal’s words, considering them carefully. There was not much that bothered the Glimwood pokemon, often enough they were able to take care of problems themselves, especially under the guardianship of the Three. With Opal busy, there was no guarantee at how long it would take to figure out what the problem was. “I understand. Shall I make some curry for dinner?” If she was going to have to wait for dinner for the details, better preoccupy herself and ease Opal’s stress. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That would be lovely. Now off you go. I have more appointments to attend to.” Opal waved her hand to dismiss her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trinity slipped off the stage with a small hop and playful curtsied towards Opal. “As you wish my wizard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ღ</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>So she is Opal’s daughter</span>
  </em>
  <span>,’ Raihan mulled to himself in the darkness of the room as the young woman curtsied in a fluid movement towards Opal before leaving the room through a different door. He was relatively surprised at how young she was. Although, admittedly, he wasn’t sure what to expect Opal’s daughter to look like when he first learned that she had one. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Theodora had informed him that Opal had finished with her most recent Challenger and she was expecting him, but also warned that she was having a quick chat with her daughter. He recently heard that Opal had adopted a daughter a few years ago from Kabu when discussions of Opal looking for a successor first arose. He was curious as to why she would not pass the Gym to her daughter as she had received the Gym the same way; however, Kabu warned him to not voice his curiosity to Opal when he had inquired about it. He was not sure why the topic would be a sore one, but he learned early in his career to not land himself on Opal’s bad side. He would never admit out loud that she intimated him to a degree. Not to say that she scared him, but she gave off a motherly aura that reminded him of all the times he did something to incur his own mother’s wrath and that he would have the same fate if he did the same to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, it was nice to see a different side of Opal. Even though she was still in what he called her “business mode”, there was a tenderness when she addressed her daughter as “</span>
  <em>
    <span>my fairy</span>
  </em>
  <span>” that he had never heard or believed he would hear from her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With his thoughts trailing back on Opal’s daughter, he had to admit that she looked familiar somehow, but he couldn’t place his finger on it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How long are you going to be standing in the dark boy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Opal’s voice filled the room, her tone sending a silent message to not keep her waiting that Raihan received loud and clear. Slipping his hands into the pocket’s of his favorite hoodie, he walked forward to stand next to his fellow peer. “I just wanted to make sure you had time and space with your daughter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raihan stiffened slightly as he felt Opal’s piercing gaze shift towards him. “I appreciate the consideration.” Raihan  shifted his weight to one leg, unsure of how to feel since her gaze did not seem to match her words of appreciation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not wanting to stay uncomfortable under her scrutiny, he decided to shift the conversation topic. “I’m not quite certain why you requested my help?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her answer surprised him. “I want you to protect my daughter.”</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and will enjoy this "arc" that will be following. Especially with Trinity and Raihan going to properly meet again after all these years.</p><p>As always, I would appreciate hearing thoughts and theories. They really give me a burst of energy to write.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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